Clegg v Farage tonight – Have your say

The first national debate on our membership of the EU in 40 years has finally arrived. I feel like it’s Christmas come early. The country has been deliberately starved of any serious debate about the issues around our continued EU membership, so I welcome these debates like manna from heaven. Hopefully “our Nige” can deliver a few home truths. The chance to land a few blows on the duplicitous, unprincipled Deputy Prime Minister just adds cream to the coffee.

Hosted by LBC (Leading Britain’s Conversation) you can watch it online from 7pm this evening. It will also been shown live on Sky News, if you fancy watching on your telly with some popcorn.

In the red, white and blue corner the bruiser from the boozer, the smoking assassin. Image by www.plusidol.com

One of many great reasons to tune in will be the knowledge that you will hear first hand idea what is said, and the context in which it is said, something I suspect will be somewhat misrepresented in the evening news and in tomorrow’s papers. Perhaps I’m too cynical. So tune in if you can, and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

I expect Clegg to be short on rational argument and long on emotive soundbites (a fiver on either “in the EU, in work” or “UK’s seat at the top table” in the first five minutes). He is fighting for nothing less than the electoral survival of his party, which he hopes to secure by appealing to the minority pro-EU vote. Clegg will try to steer the debate onto purely economic and immigration ground (well, quicksand), hoping to trade blows in a “battle of numbers” that will ultimately leave nobody any the wiser. If Clegg can control the terms of the debate, he will cast UKIP as negative and backwards looking, and Nigel will be on the defensive from the start.

Nigel should try to resist the temptation to fight Clegg on his own ground, and ensure that the positive, pro-democracy, pro-freedom case for EU withdrawal is made as often and as clearly as possible (a fiver on “I don’t agree with Nick” in the first five minutes). I would also hope that, despite what will no doubt be some outrageous claims and accusations from Clegg, that the debate avoids getting too heated. Too much talk of “Brussels”, “Bureaucrats”, “EUSSR” etc will just switch people off. The facts about EU membership, simply stated, have far more weight than any hyperbole.

Who gets to speak first will apparently be decided by the toss of a Euro coin. Read into that what you will.

Edit 14:00: Just five hours to go. An online poll by the Telegraph has Farage as favourite to “win” the debate, with 88% of 1,300 votes v Clegg’s 12%. I’m slightly worried by the glimpse given into Nigel’s approach, it seems he will be attacking Clegg’s background. While obviously fair game, I’m note sure how well that will play with neutrals. I’d prefer to see a relentlessly positive case for life outside the EU. Looking at some of the other quotes in the Telegraph article, Nigel also needs to be careful not to give the impression that he and UKIP are anti-Europe. Mantra before going on should be “Love Europe, hate EU, love Europe, hate EU, love Europe, hate EU”.

Meanwhile Clegg’s team have been downplaying their man’s chances.

A Lib Dem source told reporters:

He’s the Deputy Prime Minister, he has a pretty busy day job – preparation time has been fairly limited.

We are preparing as we would for any major event in the diary, making sure we are across all the facts and figures on Europe as it’s not something he’s been involved in at a granular level every single day.

We are doing it as and when we can.

I would still make Clegg favourite, he tends to do well in these debates (remember Cleggmania?) and will have a compliant media on side.

EDIT 14:02: As I was writing that last edit a thought popped into my head. I wonder how much tax payer funded support Clegg has received in preparing for this debate? As a party “leader’s debate”, the answer should of course be zero. Yet low and behold, there are already suggestions that Civil Servants may have helped brief Clegg.

EDIT 20:21: A YouGov poll of a thousand people gives Farage a clear win with 57%, Clegg 36% and 7% don’t know.

13 Comments

Simon Blanchard
on March 29, 2014 at 3:53 pm

Not very often a politician will admit to the “small print” as a get out clause. Does it mean that anything that he promises from now on, there will also be “small print” to wriggle out off.
I prefer the word “translation” or a “half-truth”
“IN EUROPE-IN WORK”
translation
Keep 1 UK commissioner and 73 MEP’s of the European parliament, IN WORK, we must remain in the European Union and also to keep Nick Clegg, Neil Kinnock, Leon Britton and Mandleson’s EU pensions going.
“MAKING MIGRATION WORK FOR BRITAIN”
translation
invite as many migrants as possible into Britain, adding to the 400,000, a year to take any jobs going, by advertising UK jobs in Europe, but not at home.
“SECURITY AND CONTROL:To take back control of Britain’s borders, Liberal Democrats would as an
urgent priority, ensure entry and exit checks are fully implemented”.
translation
We would implement as an urgent priory EU border checks on 480million Europeans to settle in Britain WITHOUT any restrictions
“GROWTH AND PROSPERITY – Ensure a strong economy by encouraging students,
business visitors and tourists who help growth, to come to the UK”
translation
we will encourage as many Europeans and Russian oligarks,into the UK as possible to take any jobs going, driving down wages bills, further encourage zero hour contracts, for businesses and make housing even more scarce, and expensive and out of the reach of anyone to buy their own home and more garden shed lets
“COMPASSION AND FAIRNESS – Ensure a fairer, more united Britain by
improving migrants’ language skills, easing pressures on public services
due to migration, and ensuring asylum seekers and the families of
migrants are treated with compassion”
translation
Britain will be subsumed into a United States of Europe where we will have little say on the laws and regulations being forced on us all. We admit there is a problem on public services due to migration and a cost element due to language skills, but ironically many can speak better English, than the English, as a second language.

.

The short version is that voting Liberal Democrat and also Labour and Conservative is for “the end of Britain as an independent European state, the end of a thousand years of history!”(Hugh Gaitskell)

Simon Blanchard
on March 28, 2014 at 11:52 pm

Well done Nigel, a fantastic job done against Nick Clegg, by simply telling the truth and good luck on the next debate from all at the Dartford Branch.
Ps happy 50th birthday for the 3rd April.

Joe Cummins
on March 26, 2014 at 10:02 pm

Well presented Nigel!
I “knew” Cleg would lie to the Worlds stage, but I didn’t realise that it would be so blatant, nor so repetative. (we are all glad that you didn’t bite!) Next time can you ask him why he feels the need ?
Best regards.

Gary Conway
on March 26, 2014 at 10:07 pm

We knew what to expect from Clegg after 2010, very slick, charming, plausible and polished, but subsequently proved not to be trusted. However he outdid himself tonight. He fought so many straw men his hayfever must be playing up.

Gary Conway
on March 26, 2014 at 9:00 pm

Worries me that many comments seem to be along the lines of “emotional Farage”, “rational Clegg”.

While it’s a huge achievement that this debate even happened, and it would not have done without UKIP, this is just the start of the battle. We have seen tonight that the established parties will be absolutely shameless in their spin, obfuscation and use of straw men. More than ever we need to get the facts in front of people. Not Nick Clegg’s idea of facts, the real facts. And we need to consistently challenge every misrepresentation of the anti-EU argument.

What will help greatly is to talk more of a positive vision of life after the EU. Not just for the UK but for all European countries.

Lord Beaverbrook
on March 26, 2014 at 8:56 pm

Well done Nigel.
Sky and others picking up on the Ukraine comment as a bad mistake and an own goal.
I, and I suspect many others of the public, would disagree. I think that the media and Westminster think that we the public will be more pro European supporting than Russian in this matter. They are wrong you need to emphasise this you will have our backing.

Malcolm Shykles
on March 26, 2014 at 8:27 pm

Nick Clegg tended to hog the mike and interrupt. All the same Nigel won hands down. The EU has “blood on its hands” regarding the d’état in the Ukraine (during Nigel’s last minute), something that requires a lot more publicity. Who decided that the EU should be massacring civilians in order promote a “New World Order”? The next thing to expect is an EU 9/11 event perhaps? Or was there not one in Madrid some time ago?

Mike Hall
on March 26, 2014 at 8:25 pm

Just watched the debate. Nigel won by a mile. Clegg sounded like stuck record. I hope the three old parties get a pasting on May 22nd.

Gary Conway
on March 26, 2014 at 8:10 pm

Absolutely shameful performance from Nick Clegg. Despite repeatedly calling for the case to be based on “facts”, his entire case was based on myths, scare tactics and misrepresentation of the anti-EU argument. A masterclass in presenting as EU benefits things that would remain were we to leave.
Crying shame that his smooth delivery will no doubt swing the neutrals.
I think it’s a shame that much of the debate was reduced to a battle of statistics, which reduced it to meaningless ping pong for many. The plain facts about EU membership would have won more support.
While I wanted Nigel to remain calm, I was shouting at the TV for him to call Nick out on his many lies and misrepresentations.

Gary Conway
on March 26, 2014 at 6:59 pm

2 minutes to go. Good luck Nigel. Looks like a hostile crowd of establishment journalists and politicians.

Paul Foyster
on March 26, 2014 at 5:47 pm

This is so important, the first artillery barrage in the campaign for votes in May and 2015. I expect a certain amount of luck will be involved but provided Nigel keeps his cool he should win easily. He has right on his side. Can’t actually watch, have a meeting at the same time but no doubt some of it will be on the late news. Good luck Nigel.